Da Ying
by TeeLee123
Summary: One day Trunks vanishes, never to be seen or heard from again. Bulma has to live with the pain of not knowing what happened to her 10yr. old son. Until, after fifteen years, she finally gets a phone call from the police." Ma'am, we've found your son." It isn't the 1st time someone's claimed to have found Trunks. But she's suprised by what she sees & only Goten has the answers.
1. Chapter 1: Missing

**Chapter one: **

**"Missing"**

* * *

Summary likely to change by chapter 4. You'll see why. Da Ying is mandarin for "promise."

* * *

Eighteen, Chichi, and Bulma sat on the balcony while their children played outside together.

"I think we might become in-laws, Eighteen." Chichi said, noticing how wide Goten's grin would get whenever he looked at Marron. It was the same grin she often saw on Gohan's face when he was with Videl. Goku also grinned like that when he was in trouble or wanted to get his way with something. She sighed wistfully."Goten is only nine and already in love. That's so sweet! I remember I was just a few years older then him when I fell in love with my Goku." Chichi's eyes sparkled as she remembered flying on a cloud with the young Goku.

Bulma gently pulled on her earlobe, trying not to be obvious as she glanced at the three kids playing jump rope. It was a game Trunks considered to be a 'girl's game,' and never played it with Goten when he asked. When Marron suggested they play House, Dolls, or Jump Rope. . . Trunks never complained and always did it. Bulma could tell Trunks was bored holding the opposite end of the rope, since he wasn't chanting along with the "Cinderella Dressed In Yella" song like Goten was. There was a small smile that never left his face, though, which only showed when Marron was around.

"Don't start making wedding plans for them yet, Chichi," Bulma smirked, flipping her short blue hair off her shoulders." I think my Trunks is in love with Marron." Chichi snapped back to reality and glared at Bulma." Yeah, he's definitely in love with the girl. A mother just knows." Bulma winked at Eighteen." My son and your daughter will make the cutest couple. Our grandchildren will look inhumanly beautiful, don't you think?"

"Hold on! Are you saying my boy is ugly?" Chichi growled, rolling up her long sleeves in case she has to get violent." Goten is the cutest little boy on the face of this planet! He's the spitting image of his father!"

Bulma rolled her eyes." I'm not saying Goten is ugly, he's cute in his own way. But compared to Trunks. . . . there's no contest. Trunks is way cuter than your son. I mean, you've seen how beautiful his parents are right?" Bulma raised her chin proudly." Trunks can't help but be beautiful. It's in his genes!"

Chichi slapped her hands down on the small table, just to see Bulma flinch." Your son is a wild trouble maker! My son is sweet, polite, and cute!" Chichi scooted closer to Eighteen, so Bulma was out of her view." Our children will make the perfect match. Let's agree to an arranged marriage between Goten and Marron today!"

Bulma pushed Chichi out of her chair." My son is going to marry the girl he loves when he's older, and that's that!" Bulma addresses Eighteen." Trunks may be a wild trouble maker now, but a softer side of him comes out whenever he's around Marron. She can tame him the same way I was able to tame Vegeta! She'll make the perfect wife for my son!"

"Hey, find some other little girl to match your son with. Marron's taken!" Chichi growled, dusting herself off as she stood to her feet.

"Marron is going to marry my son and make me lots of gorgeous grand babies!" Bulma wiggled her fingers on either side of her face and stuck out her tongue to tease Chichi." Just focus on getting Gohan and Videl married. I have a feeling Goten is going to live with you most of his life and never marry anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chichi yelled, grabbing Bulma by the arm.

Bulma was too arrogant to back down, and momentarily forgot that Chichi used to be the strongest female fighter in the world ( before Eighteen and Videl came along).

" I'm just saying you could learn to give the kid some space. Not even Gohan was a big mama's boy at that age. From what I heard, the kids at school relentlessly tease him about it."

Chichi's expression went blank. She didn't know her son was being teased. Goten had never told her about that. Bulma felt smug. Chichi didn't have the same open relationship like Bulma and Trunks did.

"Oh, didn't you hear? Goten accidentally called a classmate 'Mom' one day in class. Poor kid has been teased about it ever since."

Chichi looked over the balcony at her son. Marron and Trunks were now holding the jump rope while Goten took his turn. His black spikes bounced with every jump, and his happy laughter carried to her ears like music. She never knew her son was having a hard time. Chichi wanted to go to that school and demand that the principal punish the horrible kids that dared to tease her son, then instantly understood what Bulma meant. She really was suffocating Goten. If he was to ever become independent, Chichi had to learn to let him fight his own battles and get hurt every once in a while. He wasn't a baby anymore. She couldn't protect him from , Chichi wasn't going to roll over and let Bulma get away with stealing Goten's first love!

Eighteen stayed quiet. Watching Chichi and Bulma fight over stupid things was nothing new. It always happened when they were alone together. Normally she'd say things to fuel their anger, but it was the first time they had mentioned arranging Marron to wed one of their sons, and Eighteen didn't know what to say. She liked both of the boys, they were cute, smart, and strong! It really didn't matter to Eighteen which boy Marron chose. She saw the way both boys looked at her daughter and knew they loved her. Trunks and Goten would never let any harm come to Marron, and that's what mattered most to Eighteen.

Of course Eighteen wasn't oblivious. She saw the way Marron acted and giggled around both boys. There was one boy in particular that Marron loved more than the other, and knew that some day that boy would become her future son-in-law. Eighteen stared up at the blue sky."I wont tell my daughter who to marry. She'll decide that for herself when she's an adult."

Chichi had Bulma dangling upside down over the balcony by one leg, and let go in surprise. She thought for sure Eighteen would approve of Goten over Trunks.

Bulma screamed as she fell towards the ground. Goku flashed underneath her and caught her. He looked up at Chichi." How come you and Bulma are allowed to spar, but Vegeta and I can't?"

"We've been over this before, Goku." Chichi sighed, more with relief that someone had caught Bulma.

Goku gently set Bulma down as Vegeta and Krillin walked outside to see what everyone else were doing. Vegeta didn't like having to stop training just to entertain Krillin and Goku while their women chatted about stupid things. He especially didn't like seeing his son play with a girl, but neither his son or wife cared what he thought. He was being forced into being friends with Goku and Krillin and had to live with it. His son liked playing with dolls. He had to live with that also. Therefore, in his bad mood, Vegeta didn't mind when he sensed Chichi challenge his woman and throw her off the balcony. Sometimes he wished he could do that too.

"Why didn't you save me, Vegeta!" Bulma yelled, not bothering to thank Goku for saving her. Goku didn't mind. It's not like she would've died. A few broken bones was something a senzu bean could easily fix.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes." When are they leaving?"

"Never!" Bulma yelled at the same time Chichi yelled." Now!"

* * *

"Wow. Our moms like to play rough, right Trunks?" Goten giggled, having watched his Dad catch Bulma from falling.

Trunks' eyes were wide." Uh, yeah." _Goten's mom is scarier than my mom!_

Marron did her best to re tie the red ribbons in her hair, but the pig tails looked lopsided on her head. Jumping rope had made her hair messy, and she felt incredibly ugly. Her lower lip quivered as she imagined Goten and Trunks' reaction when they turned around and saw she wasn't cute anymore. She never saw them play with other girls besides her, and her mom always said it was because she was beautiful._ Goten and Trunks wont play with me if I'm ugly!_

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!" Marron cried.

Trunks and Goten jumped from the noise. They looked around, making sure a stray dog hadn't appeared while their backs were turned and bit Marron. Which happened once when Trunks and Goten went inside to get lemonade for her. She thought the dog had belonged to Dr. Briefs, since it trotted to her and began sniffing her shoes. It's friendly attitude completely changed when she bent down to pet it. Everyone screamed a lot that day, there was so much blood gushing out of her hand that Goten and Trunks thought for sure the dog had bit it off. It took many weeks for Eighteen to bring Marron over to play, even then she was always close by chatting with Bulma and Chichi in case her daughter needed her.

Goten and Trunks hated feeling useless. They wanted to protect Marron without Eighteen's help! They didn't feel deserving of Marron if they couldn't protect her from tiny things like stray dogs.

"Did something bite you?" Goten asked, searching Marron's arms and hands for bite marks. Marron shook her head, and cried a little louder." Shhh. It's okay, Marron. Please don't cry." Goten looked over his shoulder, then gulped when he saw Eighteen watching him from the balcony." Don't cry Marron. Your Mom is going to think we did something bad to you and she'll never bring you over to play again!"

Marron cried harder since she only heard 'never play again.'

"Move." Trunks pushed Goten to the ground. He looked at Marron's crying face. He couldn't understand what was wrong, but could sense her fear. Eighteen could sense it too, and he felt her leaving the balcony to walk closer towards them. Trunks wanted to be the one to make Marron stop crying, so he did the first thing that came to mind. He kissed her. It worked. Marron stopped crying.

In the distance, Trunks could hear his Mom shouting." Ha! In your face!" But he didn't understand what she and Chichi were talking about. His cheeks turned red when he realised a lot of people were watching him. Their moms knew his feelings, including Marron.

Trunks pulled away from Marron and flew to the roof of Capsule Corp."I can't believe I kissed her In front of our moms! That's so embarrassing!"

Goten didn't have the energy to get up when Trunks flew away and Eighteen took Marron to the bathroom to fix her hair. He sat on the cold grass and gently touched the petals of a yellow flower while trying to ignore the sting in his chest. It hurt a lot to see Trunks kissing Marron. When Gohan and Videl kissed, he remembered that Videl turned into Gohan's girlfriend. He saw his mother's small shoes step near the yellow flower. He didn't look up." Does this mean Marron is Trunks' girlfriend, now?"

Chichi held out her hand." Let's go inside. You'll feel better after having a little snack."

Goten took his mother's hand and let her lead him halfway to the house." Wait. I'm going to get Trunks. He might be hungry too."

Chichi smiled proudly and gave Goten a quick kiss on the cheek." Okay. When you come in don't forget to wash your hands before eating."

Goten nodded then flew up to the roof where Trunks was sitting.

* * *

Bulma, Chichi, and Krillin ( Eighteen makes him cook) didn't feel like making anything special for dinner, so they took out a few loaves of bread, a jar of peanut butter and a jar of jelly, and began making sandwiches. They had to make a lot of sandwiches to satisfy the Saiyan appetite, which was surprising for Krillin.

"Wow. I'm glad I'm not married to a Saiyan," Krillin said, looking back at Goku and Vegeta who'd already eaten a dozen sandwiches and still weren't full."I'm usually worried about Marron finishing her dinner, not if I made enough for everyone to eat."

Bulma and Chichi worked together in harmony. Bulma would slide jelly on one slice of bread and stack it on top of the slice that Chichi had just whipped peanut butter all over. Working as a team, they were able to get the sandwiches done quicker to feed their hungry families. Krillin worked quickly too, but he was no match for their speed. He kind of envied them.

Goten came into the kitchen and sat down at the table in time to eat the sandwiches his Mom had kept safe from Goku.

"Where's Trunks?" Bulma asked, noticing that her son did not come inside with him.

"He said he's not hungry." Goten took a couple bites out of his sandwich and drank some of his milk." He said he wanted to watch Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha doesn't come on until tonight," Marron chirped, being a proud Inuyasha fan.

"That's what I told him, but he says he doesn't want to wait." Goten shrugged and continued to eat." Whatever that means."

Chichi felt sorry for her son, she knew how much he loved Marron and seeing his best friend kiss her must've been painful, but shared a knowing smile with Bulma. They thought it was cute that Trunks was still too embarrassed to come inside and eat.

"Everyone! This plate of sandwiches is for Trunks!" Bulma held up the plate and covered it with clear wrapping. She narrowed her eyes at Goku." Don't touch it or else I'll kill you."

"She's not bluffing," Vegeta muttered ominously before leaving the kitchen to train.

After they ate, Bulma spent more time catching up with Goku, Chichi, Krillin, and Eighteen while Goten and Marron watched T.V. Goku would glance at the pile of sandwiches and drool, but he didn't dare touch it. It was late into the night when Inuyasha ended and Marron came into kitchen." Dad, I'm tired."

Krillin picked up his daughter and she leaned her head on his shoulder and fell asleep." I think it's time we went home. Goodnight Bulma, thanks for having us over."

"You guys are welcome to sleep here if you want. There's plenty of beds." Bulma suggested.

Krillin chuckled." No. I think Vegeta has had enough of us for today." Krillin winked." We'll be back next week to torment him again. I promise you that."

"Great." Bulma smiled evilly."I'm sure Vegeta will look forward to your visit. He loves you guys so much."

Everyone laughed, except Goku.

"I don't get it. Vegeta hates us." Goku said with a frown. Everyone laughed again, which was starting to annoy him." Chichi let's go home. There's something I really want to do before we go to bed."_ Like catch a huge fish to eat!_

"Ohhhh, Goku. You're so naughty!" Chichi giggled, further confusing her husband.

Eighteen and Krillin flew home first. Goku held Chichi like a bride and flew away next. Goten tugged on Bulma's shirt. She looked down at him." Tell Trunks I'm borrowing his Gameboy. I'll bring it back tomorrow." Goten flew a few feet up." Oh, and tell him that Koga loves Kagome, he'll know what it means."

"Okay," Bulma waved at Goten and watched him fly out of sight. She hugged her body and shivered from the cold breeze. She looked up at the moon, then towards the roof where her son was probably still hiding out." Trunks, they're gone. Come in and eat. I'll be in your room later to tuck you in bed."

* * *

Bulma sat at the edge of her large bathtub while waiting for it to fill. She poured some of Trunks' Spongebob bubble stuff into the water. She normally didn't like taking bubble baths since it left her hair feeling dry, but bubbles were relaxing and she needed to relax somehow. She had another full week of stress at work to look forward to before Krillin and Goku's family came to visit. She turned off the water and was about to step out of her silk robe when Vegeta came into the bathroom.

"Don't mind me," Vegeta smirked, undressing and sitting in the hot bubble filled tub." Ahh. This feels great."

"Get out." Bulma playfully splashed water in his face." This bath is for me, not you! Now I'll have to drain it and refill it with clean water since it's filled with your sweat!"

Vegeta reached out and untied her robe. He gently pulled away the fabric to reveal her shoulder and kissed the bare skin." There's plenty of room for you," He purred. Bulma smiled, then let her robe fall to the floor, leaving her completely naked. Vegeta held her hand and guided her into the bathtub with him.

Bulma sat in between Vegeta's legs in the tub, and rested her head against his bare chest, using him like a pillow. She kept her eyes closed, enjoying the way it felt having him gently scrub a wet washcloth over her body. She tilted her head up and kissed the corner of his lips." That feels good. Don't stop."

"Humph. It's my turn next." Vegeta teased, affectionately kissing his woman near her eyebrow. He loved Bulma, and enjoying each other's company in the bathtub was one of his sweeter ways of letting her know how much she meant to him. He knew he had to swallow his pride every once in a while to keep his woman happy, and to keep up all the frisky visits she paid him in the shower. Bathing in a tub without expecting sex was a better deal than talking about feelings, which Bulma always tried to talk about anyway. If she didn't want a short bath with him, she learned not to talk right away, and concentrated on enjoying his touch instead.

"Trunks had his first kiss today," Bulma whispered, feeling so calm she was almost falling asleep.

Vegeta stopped moving his hand and squeezed the washcloth." With. . . a girl?"

"Of course with a girl!" Bulma laughed. Vegeta lightly tossed the washcloth into her face to shut her up. She felt his chest expand and fall back to normal with his sigh. She'd never realised how much Vegeta worried about Trunks and Goten spending time together before now." How do you feel about Marron one day becoming our daughter-in-law?"

"She's weak," Vegeta replied without thinking. He'd seen her often cry for no reason. Her parents may be strong but she definitely wasn't a fighter. Bulma was silent, and Vegeta understood he'd offended her somehow. He didn't see Marron as a good match for his son, but it was slightly better than Goten. He'd always feared that Goten and Trunks' close relationship would turn romantic one day, if that happened there'd be no grandchildren to carry on the Royal Saiyan blood of Vegeta." But the entire planet is full of weaklings. . .I guess she'll do."

"I think they'll make a cute couple." Bulma said, closing her eyes and falling asleep.

A few minutes after midnight, Bulma had the feeling that something was wrong. She sat up, confused to see she was in her robe, in bed next to Vegeta, and not in the bathtub. She looked around the room, but couldn't find anything out of place. She fell back into her pillow and tried to fall back asleep._ Everything's fine. It was just a bad dream or a dog barking down the street that woke me up. Everything is fine. Everything is fine._ She rolled on her side and draped her arm around Vegeta, hoping that would comfort her. She tried every sleeping position possible but nothing she did could shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"Woman. . . " Vegeta was annoyed having Bulma toss and turn, and he was tempted to ban her to the couch. He didn't need her screaming at him all night, so he bit his tongue and tried to fall back asleep. He was having a good dream about kicking Goku's ass, and needed to get back to it to find out if he'd won.

"I'm going to check on Trunks." Bulma finally said.

Vegeta grunted." The boy's fine. Let him sleep."

"Something is wrong, Vegeta. I can feel it." Bulma whispered, piling her side of the blankets on him and running out of her room and down the hall to Trunks' room. She hesitated outside his door, the feeling that something was wrong was growing stronger, and she was afraid to open the door. Vegeta appeared beside her, arched his brow, cursed, and pounded on the door. They waited. Nothing happened.

Vegeta felt uneasy, his son was a light sleeper and always answered the door when he knocked. Bulma clutched Vegeta's arm tightly as he opened the door. The room was completely dark, except for the glowing green stars on his ceiling, which wasn't visible during the day. Vegeta knew before turning on the lights that his son wasn't there.

"He's gone!" Bulma gasped upon seeing her son's empty bed.

Vegeta tried not to let Bulma see his fear, but he had the strong urge to throw up. He covered his mouth with his hand and clenched his jaw." Call Kakarot. We'll need his help."

Bulma nodded and raced downstairs to the nearest phone. Vegeta hoped that Goku would have a better chance of locating his son then he could. He couldn't sense Trunks' energy at all, which meant he was either off planet ( not likely) or . . . dead.


	2. Chapter 2: Devastation

**Chapter two:**

**"Devastation"**

* * *

_I don't think I've mentioned that Marron is 7, Goten is 9, and Trunks is 10. Gohan is 21 and Videl is 19._ [their ages].

* * *

Two weeks had passed since Trunks went missing, and Goten found himself staring at Trunks' desk a lot during school. It was strange not seeing his best friend everyday, Trunks always had perfect attendance in class. The girls in class had decorated his empty desk with flowers and candles, along with some of the boys that were close to Trunks. Goten missed his friend and felt a little better knowing he wasn't the only one. He was happy that so many people loved Trunks like he did.

Before school let out, Chu Sensei cleared his throat and had all of the students bow their heads in a moment of silence to think about Trunks and his grieving family." I've just been informed that the search party has been called off. Wherever Trunks may be, let's hope he somehow makes it back to his family. Class will not be the same without him, but we must continue to live on. He will be sorely missed." Chu Sensei dabbed away a tear, and the bell rang. The students glumly left the classroom, and none of them dared to talk about Trunks until Goten was out of ear shot.

Goten was on his way to the top of the roof ( he flies home) when he ran into his brother and Videl halfway up the stairs.

"Hey, champ." Gohan greeted his brother by ruffling his hair." I thought it'd be fun if the three of us went out for pizza and maybe later catch a movie. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah!" Goten cheered, wrapping his arms around his brother's stomach in a tight hug." What about Mom and Dad, can they come too?"

Gohan looked at Videl. He couldn't explain things to his brother without breaking down and needed her to explain it for him. He'd known Trunks as a baby, and thought of him as a little brother. The reality that Trunks might not come back was slowly sinking in, and it hurt. A lot.

"Goku is busy helping Vegeta search and Bulma needs your Mom to comfort her," Videl said softly. Her and Gohan had spent the past two weeks scouring Satan City and West City for Trunks. They had no luck finding him or any clues, it's like he just vanished. When the police called off their search this morning, Videl and Gohan went to Capsule Corp to reassure Bulma that they'd never give up looking. They weren't prepared for what they saw. Bulma was weeping and didn't have the strength to look at them. She'd already given up hope of ever seeing her son again. Videl forced herself to smile like nothing was wrong." The briefs are going to need your parents for a long time, so I'm in charge of looking after you and Gohan." Videl looked at Gohan while she finished speaking to Goten." I'll take care of you guys. I'll help you get through this."

"Um. . . .okay," Goten scratched his head, not completely understanding what was going on.

Videl took Goten and Gohan's hands and led them to the roof. Both of them clutched her hands tightly in return as they flew over Satan City in search of a good place to eat pizza. Videl worked extra hard to keep their minds off of Trunks. She told jokes, spoke loudly and moved around more to make herself seem like a very outgoing person like her best friend Erasa. It worked. They laughed a lot as they ate pizza and no one mentioned Trunks' name or thought about him, until they landed outside the movie theater and saw a missing flier of Trunks.

Videl led them away from the missing flier to one of the movie posters outside the building." Oh look guys. The new Inuyasha movie is playing." She wasn't a fan of the show, but often got stuck watching it with Goten, Gohan and Trunks when she was visiting the Son householed out in Mt. Paouzu. She pointed to the only character she knew, and liked, and made a cat noise." Ahh. Kilala looks cute. Let's see it!"

"No!" Goten shook his head." Trunks said he wants to see that with me and Marron. We can't watch it without them!" Goten pointed to the poster next to it." Let's watch this movie."

Videl's face turned red. The poster was of a steamy picture of a man and a woman, wrapped in a sheet, staring longingly at each other. The movie had a big 'R' in the corner; it's rating.

" Goten, I have to tell you something. . ." Gohan leaned against the wall and slid down onto his butt. He patted his lap for Goten to sit. Goten could tell it was bad news, but sat on Gohan's lap anyway.

Videl sat down next to Gohan and leaned her head on his shoulder." Are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure. He deserves to know, too. We can't keep it from him any longer."

"What do you mean?" Goten asked, already near tears. He had a feeling he already knew what Gohan was going to tell him.

"It's about Trunks. . ."

* * *

Krillin, Eighteen, Master Roshi, Oolong and Turtle stood in a tight circle on the beach outside the house. They'd spent weeks listening to Marron cry herself to sleep and weren't sure if they should tell her the news.

"She's a sensitive girl. She might just cry herself to death if you tell her." Master Roshi said, voting no for telling Marron.

"We'll just buy ear plugs, then. The kid deserves to know what happened to her boyfriend. It wouldn't be fair to fill her with false hope." Oolong stuffed his hands in his pockets, voting yes.

Turtle didn't have an opinion. He felt sorry for Marron and understood the position her parents were in. He decided to stay neutral about the whole thing. Time had a way of healing and sorting things out and believed that, no matter what, Marron would learn to move on. She would survive this, whatever her parents chose.

"Thanks guys." Krillin nodded, then looked at his wife. Eighteen didn't like seeing her daughter in pain, but this was something no one could control. She wished there was something she could do, but she'd already done everything in her power to find Trunks. She kept her eyes low to the ground, deciding to go with whatever decision her husband made." Alright." Krillin took a deep breath." We'll tell her."

Master Roshi, Turtle, and Oolong stayed outside watching the sunset while Krillin and Eighteen went inside to break the news to Marron.

"Marron, we need to talk about something," Krillin said gently, walking into his daughter's room. Eighteen leaned against the door frame and watched Krillin sit on the bed next to Marron. The only reason she wasn't crying was because she'd ran out of tears for the day.

Marron took a deep, shuttering breath." What is it Dad? Did they find Trunks?"

"No sweetie." Krillin stared in his daughter's brown eyes."We haven't found him. We'll never find him."

"What?" Marron whispered, scooting away from her father as if he was wearing a scary monster masked. Eighteen couldn't let her husband do this difficult task on his own, and decided to help him.

"We helped look for the dragonballs so we could wish Trunks back." Eighteen said, crossing her arms as she remembered flying with Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Vdel, Bulma, Chichi, Yamcha and Krillin to a deserted place away from the cities. Yamcha and Chichi stood on either side of Bulma to help her stand. All Bulma wanted was to fall to the ground and grieve for her son, it seemed. For once, Vegeta was actually grateful to have Yamcha around and didn't protest to him carrying her as he flew.

_The dragonballs pulsed and Shenron flew out._

_"Why have you summoned me?" Shenron asked in his deep voice._

_Vegeta stood tall and walked forward towards the dragon." I wish for my son to come home."_

_Shenron's eyes glowed red, then dimmed." Your wish cannot be granted."_

_Vegeta fell to his knees and Bulma let out a loud, devastated, scream._

_"Why not?" Goku asked._

_"Where is he?"Chichi demeanded, feeling Bulma's pain as if it were hers. She was ready to beat the answer out of the dragon if he didn't answer quickly. Bulma would do the same for her._

_"You cannot wish for something that's already there." Shenron roared." He is home." Everyone was in shock. They knew that Trunks wasn't at Capsule Corporation since they searched everywhere and couldn't find him. Before they could ask what he meant, Shenron returned to the dragonballs and the dragonballs scattered across the Earth. They wouldn't be ready to use until a year had passed, but Vegeta knew he'd never summon the dragon again._

"Shenron was of no help at all. Trunks can't be wished back from wherever he is." Eighteen could see the tears brimming in Marron's eyes. There was a lot of hope in them. She didn't want her daughter to constantly ask them when they'd find Trunks, so she had to immediately smother out any false hope." He's gone forever Marron. We'll never see him again."

Eighteen left the bedroom and rushed downstairs, pushed past Oolong and Master Roshi, and flew across the ocean to spend time with her brother, Seventeen. She didn't want to hear her daughter cry anymore.

Krillin stayed and held his daughter as she cried. He kept her face close to his chest so she couldn't see him crying, too.

* * *

". . . We gathered the dragonballs and summoned Shenron last week," Gohan began, ready to tell his little brother that he'd probably never see his best friend again and didn't know the reason why.

"NO!" Goten screamed, standing to his feet and covering his ears." I'm not listening, I'm not listening, I'm not listening.. ." Goten chanted.

Gohan wanted to punch his brother for acting like an immature baby, but Videl held him back. Goten stopped chanting to wipe away the tears that abruptly came. He didn't want Videl and his brother to see him cry, so he flew away. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going and found himself hovering above Capsule Corporation. He drifted to Trunks' window and let himself in.

Bulma was there clutching one of Trunks' pillows. Her head shot up when she heard Goten coming through the window. Goten felt bad that he wasn't Trunks. Bulma looked so disappointed.

"Oh. Hi Goten," Bulma wiped her eyes with her long sleeves." Your mom is downstairs washing dishes with Yamcha." Bulma giggled a little, but buried her face back into Trunks' pillow and started crying again.

Goten sat on Trunks' bed and watched Bulma cry. He wanted to tell her what happened on the roof with Trunks two weeks ago, but he made a promise not to tell. He suddenly wished he'd never promised. _If I tell them now, they'll just get mad that I didn't say anything sooner_." Don't cry Bulma," Goten reached out and started petting her hair. He always liked when his Mom petted his hair and when Gohan told him everything was going to be fine when he was sad." Trunks will come back. I know he will."

Bulma stopped crying long enough to look hopefully at Goten. She wanted to believe Trunks would come back too.

"I still have his Gameboy," Goten smiled." He has to come back for that."

Bulma let go of the pillow and pulled Goten onto her lap. Goten let out a surprised yelp, but held still as Bulma desperately clung onto him as if he was a floating device that could save her from drowning."Just for a little while. . . I just want to hold you for a little while." Bulma whispered, kissing Goten's head. Maybe it's because he was Trunks' friend or maybe it's because he was close to Trunks' age that Bulma felt like she was holding her son again. Goten gave her more comfort then Chichi ever could.

Goten held Bulma tightly and cried with her. He knew someday he'd see his best friend again, but being apart from him for so long was painful. He wanted Trunks to come home, right away, but it was obvious that Trunks wasn't coming back right away like he said he would.

* * *

Vegeta came home with Goku after searching through caves and different lakes for Trunks. They couldn't find anything, as usual. Chichi was at the front door to greet them and to scold them for wearing their dirty shoes in the house. Goku patted Vegeta's shoulder to offer a little comfort, before following the tantalizing smell of cooking food into the kitchen.

"How's Bulma?" Vegeta asked.

" She's finally sleeping." Chichi gave a sad smile and headed into the kitchen to keep Goku from eating the food that was till cooking.

Vegeta walked down the winding halls of Capsule Corporation, taking the long way to his son's bedroom. He thought about knocking, but remembered that Bulma was asleep, and as silently as he could, opened the door.

Goten was awake looking at the glowing stars on Trunks' ceiling. When the door opened, Goten brought his finger to his lips to let Vegeta know that he had to be quiet. Vegeta nodded, his eyes taking in the way Bulma's arms were tightly wrapped around Goten. In that moment, Vegeta felt like breaking down. The Kais didn't know where Trunks was. Baba visited King Yemma and there was no record of Trunks having checked in, which gave Vegeta some hope that his son wasn't dead. Baba looked into her crystal ball and said the same thing as Shenron_." He is home."_ But couldn't tell him more then that since she couldn't see it clearly.

He remembered how Bulma counted the capsules of the space pods and the time machine- - all of them were in their correct spaces. Trunks didn't take any of them. The very last person, Vegeta realised, to see Trunks was the one lying in bed with Bulma. The very boy none of them bothered to question.

"Do you know where Trunks is?" Vegeta asked, sounding very tired.

Goten bit his lower lip and shook his head. He was afraid to tell the truth.


	3. Chapter 3: Found pt1

**Chapter Three:**

**" Found "**

**Part 1**

* * *

_3DS- a handheld video game. Imoto-younger sister. Niichan- older brother. Bulla is 14. Pan is 12. Goten is 24. Marron is 22._

* * *

Gohan stepped out of the shower and noticed his towel wasn't hanging on it's rack. He opened the door, keeping his naked body hidden in case his daughter or mother walked by, and yelled for someone to get him a towel. He waited, but couldn't hear anyone coming up the stairs.

_Where did they go? They couldn't have left without me, could they?_ He looked left, then right. _All clear_. He opened the door quickly and pranced to the door across the hall where they kept all the towels. He grabbed the first towel on top of the pile, and pulled it out, knocking over the pile of wash cloths beside it.

"Shit," Gohan cursed, bending over to pick up the wash cloths. Pan stepped out of her room at that moment, removed her head phones and nearly dropped her 3DS when she saw her father's naked butt as he bent over.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Pan screamed, lifting her arms up protectively and blinking rapidly as if someone had just taken pictures of her at close range with the flash on."Papa what are you doing? No one wants to see that! Cover yourself up before I tell grandma Chichi on you!"

Gohan hastily wrapped the towel around his hips. His cheeks burned red at his daughter's reaction." Pan, you look nice in a dress." Gohan laughed nervously as he backed down the hallway to his room." You should, uh, wear dresses more often."

Pan glared at her father with her hands on her hips.

" Quit goofing around. Mama wants you dressed and ready in ten minutes or else we're leaving you behind!" She didn't like wearing dresses, but at least the one her mother picked out was a pretty red and was only tight around the waist where the black belt rested. Secretly, she had spun in circles earlier in her bedroom and liked the way the dress would poof up from the air current." Be happy you get to wear pants to the dumb party. I gotta keep my legs crossed whenever I sit down!"Pan stomped downstairs, mumbling." It's so annoying!"

In the foyer, Chichi and Videl stood waiting impatiently for Gohan. They were ready to go and couldn't understand what was taking him so long.

"Where's your father?" Videl asked Pan when she came down the stairs.

Pan sat on the last step and turned on her 3DS. " He's upstairs running around butt naked."

Videl and Chichi groaned.

"I like your cheongsam Mama." Pan complimented, noticing that her mother wore a matching red headband in her shoulder length hair.

"Thank you Pan." Videl started up the stairs." I better help your father get dressed before he gets tangled in his tie again."

"Is Uub and Grandpa going to be at the party this year?" Pan asked hopefully while playing with her 3DS.

Chichi snatched the game out of her hands.

"Hey! I was almost on level four!"

"You can't take this to the party, that would be rude." Chichi scolded her granddaughter."And, no, I don't think Goku and Uub will be at the party this year. At least that's what Dende told Gohan."

"It's going to be so boring at the party," Pan pouted, wishing she didn't have to go.

It was the same thing every year. Capsule Corporation would be filled with big time billionaires from all over the world along with their snobby children around Pan's age. What started out as a yearly memorial for Bulma's lost son, had turned into some big charity event that only the richest and most famous people attended ( excluding the Z fighters). At least Pan would get to see Bulla and Marron again.

Pan suddenly realised that she hadn't seen her uncle all day." Where's Uncle Goten?"

" Where else? He's with his other mother," Chichi snorted, a little jealous that Bulma saw Goten more than she did."He never leaves that woman's side!" Chichi stomped into the kitchen to get some tea." You'd think he'd at least call the woman who spent over twelve hours in labor to bring him into this world! Thank god for Gohan, at least I know he'll always be there to take care of me in my old age."

Pan was about to mention that Goku would always be there for her, but decided against it. Goku was around even less than Goten.

* * *

Goten and Vegeta stared at each other from opposite ends of the gravity room. They'd spent half of the day sparring as Super Saiyans and drained more than half of their energy.

"Let's call it a day old timer," Goten panted, powering down to normal." Bulma will be angry if we use up all our energy and can't make it to the party."

Vegeta spat on the ground, annoyed that Goten had figured out his plan. He didn't want to attend the party this year. He couldn't stand the parties every year! Vegeta had never forgotten about Trunks, but he'd learned to accept that his son was gone and learned to live everyday without him. It was only on this one day that the pain he felt fifteen years ago was renewed, like ripping off a band-aid before the wound had a chance to heal. Having a bunch of people there that he didn't know, and constantly being badgered by reporters only made it worse. Even if Vegeta wanted to forget his only son, he couldn't because West City wouldn't let him!

Vegeta sighed and walked to the control panel to lower the gravity back to normal. He looked back at Goten and gave a small smile. Sparring with Goten had made him feel better, at least he no longer felt like stealing a ship and leaving the planet." Same time tomorrow." Vegeta stated. Which roughly translated into: _Thank you for being here for me. I don't know where I'd be without you._

Goten nodded." Right. I'll be here."

Vegeta left the gravity room and Goten decided to do a few stretches to cool down. Vegeta had put everything he had into his kicks and punches, and could already feel his muscles aching. It would only get worse tomorrow. Just as he finished stretching, Bulma's face appeared on the large screen of the room.

"Goten! Is Vegeta there?"

"No he just left. Bulma, what's wrong?" Goten asked, hearing the fear in her voice.

"It's Bulla. I think something bad might've happened to her!" Bulma sobbed." I keep texting her but she wont text back. Marron has been waiting for her in her dorm room but she still hasn't showed!" Bulma took a deep breath to keep herself from becoming hysterical." I'm worried. What if she disappears like Trunks did and I never see her again?"

"That's not going to happen." Goten clenched his fists." I wont let it happen! I promise nothing bad will ever happen to Bulla"

Bulma stopped crying. She believed in Goten.

"I'll call her right now. She always answers my calls." Goten exited the gravity room and opened the locker he'd stuffed his clothes in outside. He dug into his pants pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He stared at the wallpaper of his phone, which was a picture of him, Bulla, Bulma, and Vegeta huddled close together around his birthday cake. He scrolled down his contacts list and selected Bulla's number.

* * *

Instead of going to class, Bulla and her friend, Presley, snuck off school grounds to go shopping at East City's local mall. Seeing all the hot single men in their tight pants and muscle shirts made Bulla regret going to an all girl's boarding school.

"Maybe I should cut my hair and enroll in an all boy's school," Bulla thought out loud while picking up the new Hana Kimi book. She felt her cell phone vibrate and had a feeling it was just Bulma checking up on her. Bulma texted her after every class was over and before every class began to make sure she got there alright.

Bulla ignored her phone and proceeded to buy her book.

"It wouldn't work," Presley laughed." You'd give yourself away after jumping on the first cute guy you saw. No offense but you have no self control when it comes to cute guys. It's amazing Mr. Kawaii hasn't expelled you from his class for sexual harassment."

"Gee, I thought you'd say something like 'you're too pretty to pass as a boy.' Some friend you are."

"Hey, I'm just being honest." Presley smirked." It's interesting you didn't deny the sexually harassing part. Have you been having special after school classes with the hunky Kawaii?"

Bulla's face turned red and she walked a little faster to the food court, trying her best to lose Presley. She hated being teased, even if it was done out of fun.

Presley didn't care about being polite, she pushed through the people blocking her from her friend and easily caught up." Oooh. I'll take that as a yes. You do know he's engaged, right?"

"Of course I know." Bulla rolled her eyes." Nothing is going on between me and that teacher. I get A's because I'm smart. Plus, he's the one that flirts with me. Why does everyone at school think I'm some type of sleazy skank just because I'm pretty and have big boobs?"

Presley shrugged and ordered herself a salt free pretzel. Bulla ordered a salad, chicken sandwich, two pretzels, and a strawberry sundae.

"Wow. You eat a lot for a skinny girl," Presley mumbled, narrowing her eyes at Bulla as if somehow trying to tell her she knows her dark secret.

Bulla ignored Presley and focused on enjoying her meal. She'd heard the rumors at school and knew all her classmates and 'friends' thought she had some type of eating disorder. Bulla giggled to herself, imagining how everyone would react if they found out she was half Saiyan and had the power to destroy the entire planet. It was her Saiyan blood that made her eat more than the average human girl in the first place.

" Are you going to buy me that cute skirt we saw in the window earlier?" Presley asked sweetly.

"Sure," Bulla nodded, wiping away a piece of lettuce that got stuck at the corner of her mouth. Bulla didn't have many close best friends, and Presley wasn't one of them. Presley used her in hopes of becoming popular with the men that Bulla always attracted and to get free stuff. Bulla was a billion zeni heiress after all.

_Vmmmm, Vmmmm, Vmmmm, Vmmmm._

Bulla rolled her eyes and threw her phone at the center of the table." Can you answer that? It's probably my Mom, tell her I'm eating and will call her later."

"Sure." Presley put the phone to her ear." Hello?" Presley brightened at the voice on the other end." Bulla is eating, I'm her friend Presley. You sound cute. Are you her boyfriend?"

Bullla dropped her sandwich and tried to snatch her phone. Presley leaned back in her chair to stay out of range and laughed." Ohh, I see."

"Give me that!" Bulla shouted.

"Fine. Here." Presley threw the phone, hoping it would fly over Bulla's shoulder and crash into the ground. Bulla easily caught it. Presley made an angry sound and got up to go to the bathroom.

"Niichan?" Bulla asked. It wasn't often that Goten called her phone and she was worried that something awful might've happened. She pulled her phone away from her ear as Goten started yelling angrily. Bulla realised that she was in trouble for something and waited until Goten's voice died down to talk." Okay. What did I do this time?"

"Marron has been waiting in your dorm room for an hour!" Goten growled." She tried calling your phone a hundred times but you wouldn't answer!"

"Chill out. It's not like I'm lying dead in a ditch somewhere." Goten was so silent she couldn't hear him breathe. Bulla winced." I'm sorry for worrying you. I'll go back to see what Marron wants right now."

"Text me when you get there." Goten whispered."And text mom. . .she's very worried about you."

Bulla smiled to herself. She liked it when Goten made slip-ups and called Bulma 'mom.'

'" I love you, Niichan. Bye."

Bulla thought about leaving Presley behind and going back to school on her own, but she'd never gone anywhere by herself before. As a kid she always had Goten watching over her like a big brother. Marron would come over every week to visit Capsule Corporation and always took Bulla on fun shopping trips together, she'd panick if Bulla wasn't beside her and always within sight.

Bulma was the worst, sometimes Bulla would wake up during the night to find her mom watching her sleep. Vegeta would also peek into her bedroom every night, just to make sure she was still there.

"Oh." Bulla gasped, suddenly remembering what day it was and why Marron was waiting for her in her dorm room. Today was the day her brother went missing, fifteen years ago. Everyone in West City knew what day it was, and a lot of important CEO's and charity's attended the yearly party in remembrance of the son Bulma lost. All of her parents' long time friends would be there too, in support of Bulma.

Flooded with guilt, Bulla gathered her shopping bags and flew back to her school without Presley. She knew Presley would be angry at her for a while, but there were plenty of Presleys where she came from, so losing her as a friend wasn't a big loss.

* * *

If Goten hadn't told Bulla that Marron was waiting for her in her dorm room, She never would've recognized her. Marron wasn't wearing her favorite pink dress. She wore a long knitted cream-colored sweater that came to her thighs, black leather capris, leopard printed high heels and a blue bandana tied around her neck. Her hair was no longer blond or came to her lower back, it had been cut boyishly short, parted on the far left side like Eighteen's hair, and dyed brown. Her bangs were falling into her eyes and she shyly pushed them back to the tip of her ear.

"How do I look?" Marron asked. If there's one thing Bulla knew, it was style and beauty.

Bulla opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. She raised her eyebrows and her eyes widened." You look like a photographer."

" Thanks." Marron blushed, picked up her purse and camera case from the floor, and lead the way to her car." I bought a dress for you to wear when I was overseas. It's in the trunk." Marron pressed a button on her keys to unlock the car." But I'll give it to you when we get to Capsule Corp. We're running late."

Bulla cringed but didn't say a word. She didn't want Marron to know that she forgot Trunks had ever existed.

* * *

_Thank you **Demanding Little Lavender, HerosReprise, Holly of the Night, Meemi**, & **Vegetable lov3r** for reviewing!_


	4. Chapter 3: Found pt 2

**Chapter Three:**

**"Found"**

**pt.2**

* * *

_My email is trying to keep me pure. It filtered out the word "naked," so all I saw was "N * * * *." It made me laugh when I logged in and realised no one was writing anything obscene that started with "N." Thank goodness. :D_

_Thank you **ynallesh, Demanding Little Lavender, Holly of the Night, HerosReprise, Vegetable lov3r, GUEST, Never Dying Sun, & Aquestra.**_

_Sorry if the last chapter felt like a filler chapter. I just didn't want to overwhelm anyone with a super long chapter, that's why I broke it up into two parts. Everything in the last chapter was important: Marron's hair, Goten's relationships, Bulla's role in the family, etc. _

_ I finally watched Battle of the Gods! I practically died when Vegeta started dancing to the Bingo Song. It was the funniest movie ever, I loved it! I love Mai * Trunks, too! So cute! I'm gonna have to squeeze Mai into this story! Trunks * Pan is still my favorite, tho. But Mai is so evil, and cute! _

_Sakana ( sah-kah-nah) Bei ( bay) Mizumi ( Mee- zoo- mee) Kodomo: Child_

_I hope this chapter satisfies y'all for a while ^_^_

* * *

Bulma didn't realise she'd been smiling the whole night until her face started to ache. Bulma leaned in closer to Vegeta as they walked around the ballroom of Capsule Corporation, and he let her. It was the one day Vegeta didn't mind having her cling to him in public.

The party was going well, but it was depressing having dozens of people say," I'm sorry for your loss," or " Your son is in a better place, now." It was just too much.

"Excuse us," Bulma apologised, cutting off the CEO of a very prestigious company, and excusing herself from their boring conversation.

He nodded, his cheeks reddening with the tiniest hint of anger."Yes, of course."

Bulma was tired of mingling, she was ready to go on stage and give a thank you speech to end the night, but first she had to thank her closest friends for showing their support. She smiled at Goten, whom was dressed in a black vest and white dress shirt. He was too focused on Marron and serving punch to notice Bulma, though. Marron had been taking pictures of the yearly event and had finally taken a break long enough to chat with Goten.

Bulma stared at the two young adults, and sadly remembered a time when she wanted Trunks to be with Marron.

" Goten seems happy with Marron." Bulma whispered, thoughtfully." Maybe someday they'll tell each other their true feelings and settle down. . . I doubt Trunks would mind, since it's obvious he's never coming back."

Vegeta gently steered his woman away from the two friends and walked across the dance floor.

Gohan wasn't used to ballroom dancing, and decided to just dance freestyle. Videl smiled at Vegeta and Bulma, before covering her face with her palm. Judging by his rosy cheeks, Gohan was under the influence of champagne.

"How come you never dance like that?" Bulma teased.

"Ugh." Vegeta rolled his eyes." If I ever dance idiotically like that. . . you have my permission to kill me!" Vegeta froze when he saw his daughter across the room, standing next to Pan at the buffet table, talking with a guy!

"Easy, Vegeta." Bulma said gently, as if she were trying to relax a startled horse. She even caressed his arm, hoping that would help calm him down and keep him from making a scene." Bulla is just mingling. It's nothing to get upset over."

Bulla laughed loudly. The man smiled, proud that the joke he told had made the young heiress laugh. Vegeta could tell the laugh wasn't genuine, Bulla was only trying to impress the man.

"Excuse me," Vegeta growled, slipping his arm out from Bulma's.

"Vegeta! No!"

Vegeta ignored her and marched to Bulla's side. He eyed her cleavage-revealing, black ballroom dress with distaste. He made a mental note to blast the dress after tonight.

"Hi Vegeta!" Pan greeted, cheerfully, knowing what was about to go down." I like your tux."

"Save it brat." Vegeta growled, setting his death glare on the man who was flirting with his daughter.

"Daddy, hi." Bulla chirped, giving Vegeta a quick peck." This is Joshua, he was just- - "

"Leaving, now." Vegeta finished.

"No. That's not what I was going to say. Josh is- -"

"Leave." Vegeta growled, cracking his knuckles. Josh gulped, seeing his immediate death in Vegeta's glare." Now."

"Yes sir!" Joshua squeaked, leaving behind a trail of smoke as he sped out of Capsule Corporation.

"Daddy I can't believe you did that! I'm never talking to you again!" Bulla screamed, turning away from Vegeta to go pout in a corner somewhere.

Chichi, having found Bulma and stood watching the whole thing, glared at Pan, silencing her granddaughter's inappropriate laughter with just one look.

Bulma sighed, it was going to take a few days of ranting for Bulla to get over what her father had just done.

Bulma mingled with Chichi for a few minutes before walking on stage. She looked back at the large poster, which was of Trunks when he was six months old, and walked closer to the edge of the stage, near the microphone. She breathed into the microphone, patiently waiting for everyone to stop talking and dancing. She smiled fondly at all the faces, paying close attention to the children that were present, especially the ones in their twenties; Trunks would've been twenty-five if he was still with them.

Bulma squeezed her eyes shut, willing the tears to stay hidden until later that night, when she could cry in her son's empty bed in private. It was painful to think that Trunks might be dead, it was even more painful to think he was alive somewhere, that he had a new mother that got to watch him grow up. Was Trunks as handsome as Future Trunks had been? Was he skinny? Was he eating well? Did he have children of his own already?

Those were questions Bulma would probably never know, but would always think about for the rest of her life.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Bulma said, opening her eyes. Her voice sounded as smooth as silk." I'd like to thank you for coming today, but it'll be the last memorial party Capsule Corporation will ever host. . ." Bulma's eyes searched for Vegeta in the crowd, but he had slipped out when she stepped on stage. Her gaze roamed over Krillin and Eighteen, then rested on Yamcha, who had been flirting with two younger girls just seconds earlier.

Yamcha smiled, and gave a small wave, giving Bulma enough courage to go on.

"My son will forever be in our families' hearts, but it's time to move on. As you've all said,' he's in a better place now.' Capsule Corporation will, however, continue sponsoring the Kodomo Salvation Foundation . ." The crowd murmured and clapped approvingly as Dr. Briefs walked on stage with an enormous check, written out to the foundation.

Bulma took a deep breath. She felt ten pounds lighter after telling everyone she was ready to move on.

_I'll take it one step at a time_, Bulma told herself, already making plans to donate some of Trunks' toys she'd been saving for fifteen years.

* * *

The last of the guests left half an hour after midnight, except for the Son and Kame family. Chichi took it upon herself to assign everyone a chore." Pan, grab a trash bag and pick up any trash those rich brats left behind."

Pan groaned and stomped towards the kitchen where the trash bags were kept.

"Krillin, those dishes need to be washed. The robots can't do that by themselves."

"Right!" Krillin stuttered, saluting Chichi and running into the kitchen to get started on the dishes.

"Eighteen. . ." Chichi trailed off." Where did Eighteen go?" Everyone looked around, but Eighteen was nowhere to be seen.

"What about me?" Gohan poked his chest. Videl struggled to keep him from falling to the floor.

"Videl. . .take him home." Chichi sighed, massaging her temples." And make sure he pees before putting him to bed. We don't need to repeat what happened after the Christmas party last year."

Videl, Bulla, Goten, Yamcha and Marron nodded in agreement.

"Bulla, Goten and Marron. . . you three can start dissembling tables and folding the chairs away. Yamcha, grab a mop. You're mopping up the dance floor, and I want it to be so clean that my reflection sparkles!"

Yamcha's mouth dropped." But that could take all night!"

Chichi shook her fist, and Yamcha lowered his head and slowly walked away in search of a mop.

"If anyone needs me, I'll be on the balcony having a drink with Bulma." Chichi paused halfway up the stairs. She looked back, sharply, and everyone flinched." Remember, I can pop up out of nowhere at any second!"- - no, Goku did not teach her instant transmission; she's just scary like that.- -"So no fooling around, or else!"

"Or else what?" Yamcha snorted.

"Or else. . ." Chichi growled, heading upstairs. Nobody wanted to find out what would happen so they immediately started cleaning.

* * *

Marron listened to Bulla talk about her boarding school while they folded chairs together, and handed them to the robots. The robots could easily carry four chairs at a time, and cleaning the ballroom was going faster than any of them had expected.

"These robots are awesome." Yamcha said, leaning on his mop while he watched the robot helping him do most of the work." I'm definitely buying one of these babies. My car could use a good waxing."

"They'll cost around thirty million zeni." Bulla said.

Yamcha whistled." Wow. That's a lot of money, I'll never make that much in my lifetime. Bulma will have to lower the price if she wants any of them to sell."

Bulla shrugged." The army has already reserved two hundred of them. They're mainly war machines, but Mom and Grandpa designed them to be useful in almost any human situation. They can fix cars, do household chores, take care of children, work at stores. . . all kinds of things." Bulla yawned, and handed the last chair to one of the robots." The robots haven't been approved for the public yet."

"Why not?"

Bulla shrugged." I don't know."

On the other side of the room, Goten watched the robots cover the remaining food and remove it from the table. He smiled, remembering past Capsule Corporation parties he'd attended when he was six. Him and Trunks spent most of their time under the buffet table, hidden beneath the long table cloth, and eating different types of deserts. Goku would slip them slices of cake throughout the night, understanding that Chichi and Bulma's "No Desert After Nine" rule was a little harsh. It was only until after the party ended, and it was time for bed, that the two women found out their sons broke their rule, since the boys were too hyper and full of energy to go to bed!

"What's so funny?" Marron asked.

"Nothing." Goten replied, pressing his fist against his lips to keep himself from laughing." I was just remembering something. That's all."

"Oh." Marron nodded. They stood in awkward silence for a moment.

Goten gently tugged on a strand of Marron's short hair." Wow. It's going to take me a while to get used to this. What made you want to dye your hair?"

Marron shrugged." I just wanted to change a little. Does it look awful?"

"No. You still look beautiful." Goten said simply, having no idea how much impact his words had on her.

Bulla nudged Yamcha in the ribs, and pointed towards Marron and Goten.

Marron couldn't see it, but Goten's face was steadily turning brighter shades of red. Since he was focused on the table, Goten couldn't see the dopey smile on Marron's face either.

"I bet you two hundred zeni they'll get together by Christmas." Yamcha chuckled, sticking out his hand.

Bulla arched her brow as she studied Goten and Marron. It was strange that Goten had never made a move on Marron, especially when he was known infamously around West City as the ultimate ladies man. Bulla wasn't sure, but she had a feeling Goten's reluctance to pursue a relationship with Marron had something to do with Trunks. Unlike everyone else, Goten firmly believed Trunks would come back someday.

"You're on," Bulla said, accepting Yamcha's bet and slapping her hand into his palm. She squeezed his fingers and ended their handshake with the usual fist bump.

Bulla almost felt guilty for accepting the bet, it was obvious Yamcha was going to lose, but her mother had always told her that Yamcha wasn't too bright.

* * *

Bei woke up early, pulled her sweater over her pajama top, and slipped into a pair of waterproof boots. She opened the front door, frowning at the heavy mist that greeted her outside.

" I don't care what Grandpa says. We're going fishing today even if it rains!" Bei nodded, then walked down the wooden path. The mailbox slowly changed from a blurred grey dot and into its natural shape as Bei neared.

There wasn't any mail for her, but the front page picture of the morning newspaper caught her attention. It was a picture of Bulma Briefs and her father, Dr. Briefs, holding a large check as they smiled at the camera. The large poster of a cute baby with purple hair, grinned from behind them.

" Borrrriiiiiing," Bei snorted, flipping to the daily horoscope's page as she walked back into the house. A large brown dog with a curled tail was sitting by the door, ready to greet her."Hi Mizumi! Did Grandpa feed you yet?"

Mizumi wagged his tail half-heartedly, then tipped his nose to the air.

Bei laughed." Okay, okay. I'll get you some breakfast Mister Grumpy Dog."

Sakana, Bei's Grandfather, came out of the bathroom right as she poured the dogfood into Mizumi's bowl. The bowl quickly filled and overflowed with dogfood, but Mizumi didn't mind. He wagged his tail and licked up some of the dogfood that littered the floor, before taking large mouthfuls of the dogfood inside his dish.

Bei patted Mizumi's head, smiling as his ears flattened under her palm and quickly sprung back up to their natural pointed shape." Good boy. You eat all that up for me, okay?"

Sakana observed the mess and shook his head." I knew I should've bought a smaller bag, or at least put a food scooper in it."

"Are you ready to go fishing, Grandpa?"

"Huh? When?"

"Today." Bei frowned." You promised we could go fishing this morning! Don't tell me you forgot!"

"No," Sakana coughed." Of course I didn't forget." He ran a hand through his wavy white hair."It's just. . . uh, I fell asleep and didn't have time to set the poles last night- -"

"That's already taken care of. See!" Bei pointed to the two fishing poles leaning against the yellow couch." All of it's ready. I packed the power bait, worms, hooks, and sinkers into the tackle box. All we need to do is get dressed and we can be on our way!"

Sakana nodded, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He glanced at the newspaper, which lay on the counter. He read the first part of the article and turned the page to read the rest, but the continuing article wasn't there. In its place was the horoscope's page, advice column, and the black and white comics.

"Hurry Grandpa. We don't have time to read the paper!" Bei said, already impatient with the slow way he was drinking his coffee. She bent down and took away Mizumi's food bowl, setting it on the counter. Mizumi didn't care, there was still plenty of dogfood on the floor to eat.

Sakana nodded, then went into his bedroom to put on a sweater, a warm vest, and a black beanie to keep his balding head warm. He grabbed his fishing pole and bent down to grab the tackle box, but Bei beat him to it.

"I've got it. You just worry about not throwing out your back like last time."

"Alright." Sakana agreed, following after his dog and granddaughter. He squinted through the mist, walking slowly behind them since it was difficult to see. They took a left at the mail box and descended the first slippery, wooden step with ease. The mist was so thick that they could only see one step at a time.

"Be careful," Sakana warned as Bei blindly raced Mizumi down the steps. He didn't like that he couldn't see his granddaughter, but her laughter and Mizumi's barking gave him some comfort. It was only when Sakana made it to the bottom step and relaxed, that he realised it was eerily quiet. The birds weren't singing their habitual morning songs.

Sakana peered up at the tree tops, then scanned over the tall grass surrounding the lake. The mist wasn't as thick as it had been up the hill and at the house.

Bei beat Mizumi to the dock and kept running, her footsteps making a lot of noise against the floating wood. She came to an abrupt stop, almost falling off the dock, and looked back.

Instead of joining Bei on the dock, Mizumi found a flock of ducks to chase after. The ducks squawked and swam further away from shore, except for one duck. The one duck flew over the tall grass and landed not far from a group of crows huddled around something.

Mizumi raced through the grass, thinking he had a chance at killing himself a duck or a crow. The mass of black birds and one chubby duck flew out of range of Mizumi's fangs. The dog barked in frustration and jumped in the air, knowing it was hopeless.

"Stupid dog." Bei laughed, setting her pole down to rummage through the tackle box.

"I think he caught one!" Sakana shouted to Bei. She looked up for a second, then continued digging through the tackle box. Sakana walked off the path and into the tall grass. He couldn't see Mizumi's head, only his curled tail."Whatcha' smelling boy? Did you catch a bird? You better not have found another dead skunk!" Sakana stumbled forward, nearly tripping over a rock." What the. . ."

He grabbed the large object jutting out from the dirt and brought it close to his face. It wasn't a rock he'd almost tripped over, but a child's shoe. Sakana immediately glanced at the dock, realising that this wasn't Bei's shoe. How could a child's shoe have gotten there? Their land was private property! Sakana turned the shoe over and dropped it. There were to large blood specks staining the front.

Sakana gulped, and ran through the grass. In his mind, Mizumi's tail looked more like a shark's finn. He saw the way his dog would tear open dead skunks and fish. . . and knew that whatever Mizumi had found was in danger of being his dog's chew toy.

"Get out of here! Go!" Sakana yelled.

Mizumi jumped back in time to avoid getting kicked by Sakana's heavy boot.

Sakana only felt the tiniest bit of guilt. His instinct to protect the child Mizumi had been sniffing at was in overdrive. He wanted his dog to be further away than that, and yelled as he charged at his dog.

Mizumi's tail dropped between his legs and he slunk low to the ground as he ran from the old man, not understanding what he did wrong.

"Leave him alone!" Bei screamed from the dock.

Sakana calmed down a little as Mizumi ran back to Bei's direction. He turned his attention back to the child in the grass. His stomach tightened, noticing that the child was missing a shoe.

"Dear Kami, please don't let him be dead." Sakana prayed, kneeling in the grass and reaching his hand out to touch the boy's arm. The boy felt deathly cold.

"What is it?" Bei asked, walking towards her grandpa with a very scared Mizumi beside her.

"Don't come over here! Stay away!" Sakana croaked, keeping his hand on the cold boy. He held his breath, trying to single out his pulse from the boy's, but it was no use. Sakana never payed attention in health class when he was a kid, and never could figure out how to feel someone's pulse. He couldn't tell if the boy was alive or not.

Bei paused for a second, then decided to keep walking. She had to know what was scaring Mizumi and making her grandpa act crazy. She gasped as she saw the boy laying in the grass. His shirt, which must've once been a vibrant green, was drenched in dirt and blood. His hair and exposed areas of skin was the same- - decorated in blood and dirt.

"Is he dead?" Bei asked, not meaning to smile. It wasn't everyday she found a dead body, and already she couldn't wait to tell everyone at school tomorrow. She hoped the boy wasn't dead, but it was exciting just the same." Where did he come from? What happened to him? Grandpa. . . what should we do?"

"Get my keys. I'll meet you in the truck."

Bei nodded and ran back to the house.

Sakana was quiet for a moment." You poor boy. I can only imagine what hell you've been through."

The boy had his eyes closed, but his face was etched in pain and fear. Whatever he'd gone through, he suffered terribly.

"Everything is okay now. You'll never have to suffer again." Sakana removed his vest and draped it over the boy. Even if the boy was dead and could no longer feel the cold, it still made Sakana feel better. Hopefully the boy would see this last bit of kindness before he departed from the world.

Mizumi hesitantly licked the tears from Sakana's cheeks. He still couldn't understand what he did to make Sakana mad, but he wanted to let Sakana know that he forgave him for trying to kick him earlier. Mizumi was ready to be friends again. His tail wagged uncontrollably as Sakana scratched behind his ears. The dog spun in a circle and snatched up a red, ball-shaped toy beside the boy's body.

"What is that?" Sakana wondered, reaching out to take the toy, but Mizumi dashed away and ran back to the house, hoping Sakana would chase after him so they could play with his new dog toy together.

Sakana sighed." Stupid dog." He leaned forward, sliding his hands under the boy's head and under his knees to pick him up. He let out the breath he'd been holding when he was able to successfully take a couple of steps forward without throwing out his back.

Sakana nearly had a heart attack when the boy in his arms weakly clutched to his sweater and coughed.

"Grandpa I have the keys!" Bei shouted from the top of the hill.

Sakana smiled." He's alive!" With a renewed sense of urgency, Sakana found the strength he needed to run up the steps, something he hadn't been able to do since he was fifty." Don't worry kid, I'll save you! You'll be feeling better in no time, just hang on!"


End file.
